Proud To Know You
by classygirls
Summary: "But I have never met anyone quite like James, someone so proud to be a Gryffindor, so brave, so caring and such a good friend. But overall I have never met someone who loved somebody else like James loved Lily. " A final goodbye, from Remus to his friends.


**This is for moonyfied on tumblr! I hope it's okay **

Monday the 2nd of November was not a sunny day, the sun didn't seem to rise that morning, and if it did it rose behind the dark clouds threatening a thunder storm. At least the fear of looking outside and seeing black or a dark green cloud were gone. But with fear gone, reality had sunk in. Many had died, it had been eleven years of fear and destruction, and though it felt over, it never would be, would it? Well, at least not for some. People had lost family and friends, and though the wizarding population had celebrated the end of the war, it wasn't really over.

Remus Lupin ran his hand through his hair as he entered the Church at 11 that very morning. He did not want to be here, not alone, he was 21 years old, 21 year olds should not be attending their best friends funerals, especially when said friends were also 21.

But _they_ should have been here, he should not have to attend alone, he should have his other two best friends by his side, they should have all been here to mourn together. But one was in jail, probably mourning his master's loss, not the death of two people who he had grown up with, and one was also unable to mourn due to the formers choices to pick power over his friends. Peter Pettigrew had died and Sirius Black had probably lost his soul to the dementors. Of course there had been no funeral held for Peter Pettigrew, there was no body to bury. Remus felt a flare of anger in his stomach for his former best friend, Sirius Black had destroyed everything and everyone that was important to him, and the only punishment he had was rotting in a cell, unlike his friends, he got to keep his life.

Remus took a deep breath as he walked into the Church in Godric's Hollow. Of course he was not alone, he looked around the room and many familiar faces turned to offer him their condolences, their supportive yet sad smiles. He was grateful of course, but he did not want _their _sympathy, he wanted there to be no need for sympathy. He wanted everything to be ok, he wanted James and Lily.

He slipped into a pew and rubbed his forehead, he wanted to be alone, he wanted to at home, he wanted be in seventh year again, he wanted to be in Hogwarts, he wanted to be in his dorm, he wanted everything to be normal again. It was as if that if he kept wishing for it, they would all come back to him. It all felt like some sick dream, life without all four of them, he had never considered it.

"That's because it was never supposed to happen," He muttered allowed.

"It is a truly cruel world Mr Lupin," A soft voice above him said. Remus looked up into the eyes of his old Professor, who gave him a crinkled smile, before lowering himself into the seat next to Remus.

"No Professor, he was just a truly cruel man," Remus said bitterly.

"It is hard for you, but they would not want you to dwell on the past, you knew James like he was a brother and you know how he would want you to go from here. Voldemort had a twisted like no other, I do agree Remus, I do," Dumbledore said sympathetically, staring straight ahead.

"I wasn't talki-"

Remus stopped himself, and sighed. James would not want him to be bitter, nor would Lily or Peter, but they would want him to go from here, it was the end of a war, and though Remus had his own life to celebrate, he still had theirs to mourn, though they would not want him too.

"_Merlin, does it ever stop?" Sirius sighed, flopping himself onto his bed as the four boys entered the dorm. James Potter flung his tie off and grabbed the Prophet out of Sirius's hands._

"_Family mourns as two Aurors are murdered by Death Eaters," James muttered, glaring at the print in front of him._

"_They went down fighting, it says," Sirius pointed out. "That's how I want to go, when I do."_

"_If you do," Peter corrected glaring at his friend. "You shouldn't talk like that Sirius."_

"_No he's right," James said. And Remus glanced up at him; James wasn't the morbid type, not like Sirius, who didn't seem to have an optimistic thought when it came to the war, not that Remus could blame him. "When we get out of here we're not going to be sitting around doing shit all are we? We've all signed up for whatever the hell Dumbledore has organised whether he's asked us or not. And Aurors are dying weekly. I'd much rather be out there fighting it than doing absolutely nothing, if I'm going to die, I'm going to die a fighter."_

_Remus hadn't said anything but he had admired his friend, James was known for being mostly talk and some action, but with that look in his eyes, determination and a fierce desire to prove himself, Remus didn't doubt for one second that James was lying. James Potter, if he died, would die a warrior, no doubt about it._

Remus swallowed back his tears as he recalled the memory, the service had started but he was barely listening now. Brave James Potter, who died without a wand, desperate to protect two of the people he had cared most about in the world. For the last few months, James had not been able to be out there in the action like he had said, but he was truly a hero.

"Mr Remus Lupin, would like to say some words," He heard faintly in the distance.

Remus got up with shaky legs, he hadn't realised he had been crying until a salty tear trickled onto his lips, he wiped his eyes quickly and made his way to the front.

"James Potter was- no is, James Potter is my best friend, since we were eleven years old he has been my best friend. Ten years, and over all those years he's made me proud to be his friend. James sometimes did some stupid things, we all did stupid things. We were four arrogant boys. But I have never met anyone quite like James, someone so proud to be a Gryffindor, so brave, so caring and such a good friend. But overall I have never met someone who loved somebody else like James loved Lily. It was a long six years for the rest of us when Lily wouldn't even give him the time of day. But Merlin, he was persistent. I'll never forget when she finally agreed to go out with him; he almost broke his bloody bed as he jumped up and down in excitement. You would never have thought two years later they would be married with a son. James and Lily loved Harry more than anything in the world," Remus took a deep breath. "I'm proud to call them my best friends. James once said _'If I die, I want to go down a fighter'_. They were the two bravest people I knew, and they did not deserve what happened to them, but they have made the world a better place and I know they will be proud they made a difference. I love them both very much and I promise I will never, _ever_, forget them."

They would never forget him either, they were proud they made a difference. Remus Lupin kept his promise to them; it was not goodbye after all that day, but the beginning to the end.

**I honestly don't know how good this is, it was hard to write, but I really really hope you like it, and there is probably a load of typos/errors, because I haven't really had time to check it.**


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